LETTER: Accessibility aided by grant program

The News

Published: Jul 28, 2017 at midnight

Updated: Sep 29, 2017 at 10:37 p.m.

On Wednesday, Anne and I with friends, Brian and Jane Burris attended the annual pork chop barbecue in Scotsburn.

I recognized the tall chap sitting with his wife and very young daughter at the adjacent table to us and took the opportunity long enough to introduce myself to and sincerely thank our MP, Sean Fraser, for the way that he and his local constituency office had promoted the new federal Enabling Accessibility grant program.

As a result, I'm personally aware of four grant applications that were submitted under that program. Let Abilities Work, our local adaptive recreation group, worked with Active Pictou County to prepare an application for grant assistance to purchase a trail hand-cycle that will open many outdoor recreational activity areas to people with disabilities that have previously been inaccessible to them.

Additionally, our group had the privilege to submit letters of support for three other grant applications made under this new federal program – one by the Trenton Library to improve the accessibility to its front entrance for folks using wheelchairs and with other mobility issues; one by the Town of Pictou that wants to install electric door openers on six doors at four of its town-owned buildings where the public is served; and a third by the Pictou United Church which hopes to add push button openers to its front entrance doors.

Of course, at this point these are only applications. There is no telling if any of them will be approved. Nevertheless, I am personally elated by the show of local community support for our people with disabilities, which I have witnessed in this application process over the past several weeks.

To our MP Fraser and to all of the others who have been involved in this effort, on behalf of the local disability community, I'd like to express our thanks.